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A$AP Rocky back in Sweden 4 months after assault conviction

December 11, 2019
US rapper ASAP Rocky performs during the Lowlands music festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands, in this Aug. 18, 2019 file photo. — AFP
US rapper ASAP Rocky performs during the Lowlands music festival in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands, in this Aug. 18, 2019 file photo. — AFP

STOCKHOLM — New York rapper A$AP Rocky was back in Sweden on Wednesday for a concert, four months after receiving a suspended sentence over a Stockholm street fight.

The gig alongside Swedish rap artists Jireel, Z.E and Dree Low is set for Stockholm's Ericsson Globe, a golf ball-shaped arena that is the world's largest spherical building.

A$AP Rocky's booking agency Live Nation said part of the concert's proceeds would go to charity.

The 31-year-old rapper will have to be on good behavior during his stay in Sweden to avoid seeing his suspended sentence change to a spell behind bars.

A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was arrested on July 3 a few days after a brawl in Stockholm in which he and his entourage were embroiled with a 19-year-old plaintiff.

Considered a flight risk, he was held in custody for a month while the case was investigated and throughout his trial.

Prosecutors had called for a six-month prison sentence, but the court said the actions of Mayers and two members of his entourage were not severe enough to warrant more time in prison.

The court did not specify the length of the suspended sentence.

Assault carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison in Sweden.

Mayers' imprisonment outraged fans, who started an online petition, #JusticeForRocky, which garnered more than 640,000 signatures.

Supporters were urged to boycott Swedish brands such as Ikea.

The case also led to diplomatic tensions after US President Donald Trump himself called for Mayers to be released. — AFP


December 11, 2019
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